The Fabric of Partnership
by The6thAnon
Summary: The Able Sisters have had money troubles for a while, but a fire leaves them without a store. Tom Nook is a successful businessman with bells to spare. He misses the friendship he used to have with Sable. The fire gives him an opportunity to make things right, and he pounces.
1. Chapter 1

Sable sighed and turned the square of fabric for the 5th time. She enjoyed the work; sealing up the edges of a bolt of cloth ordered her thoughts and gave her a peace of mind. Mable, with her bubbly personality, took to greeting the customers, which gave Sable the focus she needed to finish her work. There hadn't been many clients livening up the store recently, though.

"Welcome to Able Sisters, where YOU are the fashion designer!" Sable looked up hopefully, but Mable was just practicing. "Hey, sis, maybe it's our slogan." Sable turned off the machine and took the completed piece of fabric out of its jaws.

"I don't think that's the problem." Sable bent her nose in a thoughtful frown. She folded the fabric and took out another bolt. "There's something missing from our shop."

"Size? Décor? Atmosphere? Don't tell me it's our selection, Sable. I think we're covered there." Sable returned to the table and switched the machine back on.

"Whatever it is, it's a serious problem. We've got money saved of course, but…" Both sisters knew it wouldn't last for long.

Tom Nook scurried around his shop, straightening displays and adjusting price tags. He had just gotten permission to upgrade to Nookington's. The visitors from Sandbay happened to include an investor. She looked over Nookway with a few nods of approval, giving him the contract later that day. All he needed to finish the deal were the bells, and he certainly had those. Tom walked to the back room of the store, setting the bundle of papers on his desk. The forms described options ranging from light intensity to wallpaper choice. He picked up the sheet on top, glancing over its choices.

"Featured business?" Tom put the paper down, leaving possibilities of a small shop inside his supermarket to a later date. He knew it was an important decision, one he would need to ponder carefully. Spinning back and forth in his swivel chair, he booted up his old computer. It flickered on, the dim glow fading into Nook's fur.

Tom Nook didn't rely on local profits to keep his business afloat. Townies made an occasional purchase or two, but he needed a steadier income. So when they came in, ready to deliver a bug or fish for a quick bell, Tom took the creature and paid a satisfactory price. They'd sell for much more in other towns. He pulled up a map of his own trade network, clicking his tongue in concentration.

"Sandbay had no need for sea fish…perhaps I'll send them some trout, yes? And what about Pinewoods? They need their sea bass and red snapper, hmm?" He sent out a few orders for boxes (light ones for Sandbay and heavy-duty crates for Pinewoods to make the longer trip). He was about to click the order when a loud scream caused him to drop the mouse.

"Help! Fire!"

After the shop closed, Sable turned off the lights, lit a candle on the table, and sent Mable looking for old clothes. She had become a familiar sight around the town, asking for worn clothes to reuse. The economy might've been bad, but Sable still wasn't satisfied with the idea of having to rely on charity. She sighed and pulled out her last piece of fabric, and it tore, unbalancing the machine. She held the loose sleeve in her hand for a moment. Her nose twitched, detecting a sour scent. She turned around, dropping the fabric. Her paw clasped onto a few threads. They suspended the flowery pattern above the ground before the strands unraveled.

A fire began to creep over the edges of her photographs.

"Fire!" Sable ran to the taps in the back of the room, pushing aside some empty rolls of fabric. They didn't use the running water in the shop. It carried the taint of soil with it and proved unclean for washing, let alone drinking. But it would blend with the fire just fine.

Mable pushed the door open with her leg just in time to see her sister frantically turn the knobs.

"Sis!" She dropped the shirt. "I'll get help!" She ran outside, calling for a bucket and able pairs of hands. Sable gave the faucets one last twist and stepped back, flailing her paws. She ran to the wall, grabbing the first photographs she could and rushing out the door. Other villagers entered, water spilling from their containers.

"Everybody out!" Butch barked, tossing his pail at the wall. Sable found herself being herded outside. Mable tugged a full pail of water from the pond.

"Sis!" She took the bucket from the younger porcupine and flung it onto the fire.

Tom Nook sat at his computer screen as the shouts died down. He heard Drake give a whoop. The sisters must be OK. He pushed himself away from his desk. A fire had invaded the Able Sisters' shop. A fire, devouring and ruthless, filled with crackles and hungry roars, had attacked the two caring sisters right beside him. He slowly walked to the door, reaching for the knob three times before he could manage to turn it.

There were safe, no thanks to him. He rushed back into his storeroom, closing the door with a bang that shook its hinges. Pushing the chair aside with one thrust of his arm, Tom grabbed the thickest catalog from a shelf above his desk. The other books, imbalanced, toppled and slipped onto the desk, but Tom flipped to the index without a glance to the fallen catalogs. He shakily grabbed a pen and circled the best sewing machine bells could buy. Pulling up his map once more, he ordered some fabrics and other supplies.

Tom knew business. He knew exactly what it took to get a business back on its feet. He tore out the page and taped it to the wall behind his desk and allowed himself a moment of wishful thinking.

"The future," he thought, "doesn't have to be so unfortunate, hm?" He opened a drawer and took out a picture of him and Sable. He trailed a claw over their laughing faces. After setting it on the desk, he pulled an envelope from the drawer and pushed it shut. A fire wasn't a small inconvenience. Those porcupines would need help, and he was going to deliver. If there was anyone who could get the Able Sisters back in business, it was Tom Nook.


	2. Chapter 2

Sable pulled the covers closer to her sister and climbed out of the bed. She ran a paw over the wardrobe and shook dust from her paw, heading toward the door. Choosing her steps carefully so she wouldn't wake her sister, Sable snuck across the rough carpet. The door opened without a creak, revealing the houses outside. Their windows were dim. The brightly colored roofs dotting the street reflected the moon's glow. Sable opened her mouth slightly and took a breath. The air was bitter, and she hurried along the street.

Her house was only a few miles from Sentree, the town with a city's name and reputation that housed her friends and customers. The swaying grasses that lined the road used to be the gateway to a second home, a place of hard work and commitment, but now with the shop destroyed… She stiffened her shoulders and pushed the grass aside. The path's small rocks rolled under her shoes, and Sable kept an eye on the moon as she travelled the familiar path to Sentree. She reached the entrance and was about to turn the corner when she saw a dark shadow against the bulletin board.

Tom Nook shoved the envelope across his desk and pushed himself back. He had written the letter carefully so it was filled with flattering descriptions of the Able sisters and their products, but he couldn't think of the place to send it. Sandbay, the port city, was no place for their quaint style. Pinewoods was too remote. Surely they wouldn't enjoy being in the middle of nowhere.

_They'd really appreciate being forced away from their home or into a long commute, hmm? Are you sure you aren't just pushing them away, afraid to be close to those you've hurt before?_ He shook his head as if that would dispel the words and got up. The wooden floor creaked softly under his feet as he walked out of the storeroom. It would be nice to get a new office with Nookington's. Maybe he'd have the space for one of those state-of-the-art desktops with screens like HD TVs. Pulling on a thin jacket with black buttons, Tom walked out the automatic doors. Glancing at the bulletin board, he stopped and tilted his head thoughtfully for a moment. A comet whizzed across the sky.  
_ Maybe you can become their hopes and make them real._ He took the pen at the top of the board and balanced it on the rough paper. He dropped it twice, pulling the pen back to the board and gripping it firmly. "The Able Sisters," he wrote, mumbling under his breath as inky scratches became words. "Combining comfort, quality, and homemade touches to create the perfect wardrobe. New selection available upon Nookington's opening." The sound of small footsteps made his hand tremble. He turned around to see drooping quills on a background of moon.  
"Sable?"

Standing behind a tree, Sable wondered if Tom would say anything at all. She didn't have high expectations; he hadn't said much for the past two years save the customary "good morning" and "I'm fine" that punctuated their occasional meetings. They used to find conversation in the way birds flew, but now the countryside didn't hold much interest for him. He was all about upgrading, as if the small homes and stores of a town weren't enough for him. Why, he had simply pounced on that poor visitor earlier today!

_Maybe that's why he's successful and you're the one living in a one-bedroom house at the edge of town._ She pushed down some unruly quills and stepped from behind the tree. He could hide behind fancy corporate signs, but she wasn't going to play his game. She crunched on a leaf to get his attention. He turned around and called her called her name, his words quivering with shock that siphoned the energy from her limbs. She shrank back slightly, waiting for him to say his typical greetings.

"Are you all right?" She nodded stiffly. "I was putting up a notice—ah, I should've asked you first, yes…" Sable took her eyes away from his face and looked at the board. She tiptoed to the left of the town hall, not wanting another townie with worried words and large gestures to steal the moment's solitude away. She read the message and swept her eyes back to his. Then she spoke the first words Tom had heard from her in two years.

"You'd stick us in your store?" He put his hands into his pockets.

"Yes, so you could get back in business soon.

"The atmosphere's wrong." She shook her head, pacing on the cold tile. "No. We need our own shop. Mable greets each customer separately-how are we supposed to do that when they might only want a new piece of furniture?" Sable forced her feet to walk past the board and the hopeful look beside it. "We don't like the way you run things, Nook. It's cruel...everything's a ploy to make a few more bells." She trudged another step, but Tom grabbed her paw.  
"Do you want to starve?" She yanked her claws from his.  
"Unlike you, we have friends," Sable retaliated.  
"You can't live on charity."  
"Friendship isn't charity, but I suppose you forgot that when you hopped on that bus to the city, now didn't you?" Sable didn't wait for his stutters or excuses. She turned away from him and walked to the gate, letting the tall grass swallow her hesitation.

Tom took the pen in his hand, sliding a claw over the smooth surface. He scratched through the paper and pulled it. Islands of material stuck to the tacks and he ripped those out, too. They bounced off the stone with a few soft clinks, releasing torn scraps of paper that sank like snow through the heavy air.  
"Sable..." Stepping over the tacks, he began to walk back to Nookway. How long had it been since he had cared about the stars and the way light looks at night? Two laughing figures chased each other in his memory, and he followed them. They raced to a hill that no longer existed, and he stopped in front of Nookway. They bumped into an apple tree and faded from his mind.

Sitting in front of the sliding doors, Tom raised his nose to the moon and searched for where he went wrong. His childhood memories were so carefree; now he lacked the cheerful attitude from his younger days. He got up and dusted off his pants. Perhaps it was natural. He grew up and changed, and so did she. Tom walked to the back gate of the town and walked along the freeway. A few stairs led to a railed ledge above the street and he climbed them until the cars we under his feet. He looked over the silver railing at the round vehicles plodding through the traffic and let his hands find solace in his jacket pockets.

_What reason would she have to trust you? You left them and washed away the traces._ Tom shook his head, slowing his footsteps so that he moved alongside the cars. In the end, it didn't matter what his bells could buy.

"Where'd you go, sis?" Sable closed the door and pulled down the smaller light switch. A dim glow illuminated the room, a soft, simmering sound accompanying it.

"I took a walk." She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the faded plaid quilt into her paws. "Mable, how would you feel about visiting Aunt Tracy again?"

"In the city?" Mable sat up, pushing her quills away from her eyes. "But—"

"We'll be able to stay there until our place's rebuilt."

"Like a vacation?" She pulled the covers closer to her head and looked at Sable with open eyes.

"Yes, sweetheart. Like a vacation." She walked over to the switch and pulled it, letting it sway from side to side. Then she crept into the bed, kissed her sister on the forehead, and tried to sleep. _Maybe that's all we need, a change of scenery. Maybe we can set up shop there. Maybe we don't have to come back. _


End file.
